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I never realized just how much your creative energy is connected to your health until I got the infection I currently have. I want to write SO BADLY, but this brain fog seems to be insurmountable right now. 😦

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So, I’m still running the Author Promo Network and all its social media accounts by myself. If I ever get a personal assistant, that’s the first thing I’m going to bring them in the loop on. I want to provide more opportunities for authors to share their work.

Speaking of personal assistants…I’m doing that now, too! I’m working with several authors to make their lives a little easier. I’m also training a friend to do this PA business, in the event that my writing takes off and I no longer have time for my PA business. I’m not saying that will ever happen, but in case it does, I have a contingency plan so my clients are all taken care of, no matter what I’m doing.

I’m ALSO running a proofreading business. It takes me a bit longer to do that than I initially anticipated, but it’s very rewarding.

Right now, my writing is basically on hold until I pay some things off.

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What do you guys think about short, daily check-ins when I don’t have big announcements to make?

Fair warning: It’s probably going to happen, but I promise to include some useful content, too. Maybe not EVERY day, but I have a lot to share on my Author Promo Network blog after I get the newsletter redone and moved to MailChimp!

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If you’re at all involved in the indie writing community, I’m sure you’ve heard about the change Thunderclap made in their TOS. To boil it down for you, if your Thunderclap is for anything remotely commercial (a.k.a. you’re an author and you could make book sales from this Thunderclap), they are no longer allowing campaigns of that nature to be posted.

Being able to use Thunderclap for book launches was AMAZING while it lasted, but once again it seems the indie book community has been shafted. So, Thunderclap has made itself obsolete to a massive portion of former users with that one simple change in TOS, and many of us are having to make the switch to Daycause.

I can’t help wondering, though, how long before indie authors are again excluded from a social sharing site? How long do we have before we must adapt AGAIN?

7. Notebook.ai

If you’re anything like me, and it helps to have someone (in this case something) to talk to/ask you questions about your stories when you’re in the planning phase, get in on this ASAP! I am in LOVE with Notebook.ai. You can sign up HERE.

6. 5,000 Words Per Hour (Book & App) by Chris Fox

I honestly can’t even BEGIN to tell you how much more productive I am as a writer after reading this book and downloading the app! Get the book HERE.

5. Invest In Your Cover!

I’ve come across some truly amazing cover designers on Facebook guys! I’m just going to give you a bulleted list here. I highly recommend checking them all out and seeing who best suits your style (or your price range)!

4. PublishDrive

Since Pronoun’s closing, a lot of writers are looking for new wide publication options outside of simply uploading to KDP. If you’re looking to go wide, PublishDrive will get you where you want to be!

3. The Plot Genie

If you’re anything like me, working with The Plot Genie (a.k.a. Heather Cardona) will save your (writing) life! Seriously, join her group HERE. I promise you WILL thank me for this.

I always find myself second-guessing all the plotting I’ve done, and I always worry about my pacing, because it’s not my strong suit. You don’t have to worry about that when you work with The Plot Genie. She does everything from taking outlines you’ve already done and fixing them up to make them even MORE addictive, to writing your outlines FOR you if you don’t want to be bothered!

2. Creative Central With Debbie Burns

This is an AMAZINGLY positive and uplifting group for creatives on Facebook. You can find it HERE. If you join, I can PROMISE you that you’ll find some of your most faithful tribe members here.

1. Rebecca Hamilton & OTOH, Books!

I really can’t say enough about how wonderful Rebecca is, both as a person and as a service provider for authors! She has several Facebook groups and a website. All I can tell you is JOIN EVERYTHING! You never know when or where she’s going to post some kind of incredible opportunity, service, course, or deal on any of the above! There’s a reason I’ve listed her at #1, guys.

Just in case you missed out on my newsletter (or *gasp* you didn’t know I have one), you might want to scoot on over and check it out! There are recommendations, giveaways, and more! Just CLICK HERE to read it.

I’ve been learning all kinds of incredible things from Rebecca Hamilton at OTOH Books, guys! I am boldly exploring new frontiers in marketing and other things on the business side of writing. I’m re-launching Author Promo Network, as well. I made a post about that on Facebook today, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to make one on the actual APN blog.

ANYWAY…back to the point of this post.

I’m super excited to be running some giveaways, and my Street Team is where the BEST giveaway action is. My team gets access to exclusive giveaways and freebies no one else gets.

Join the Fiction Freebies group on Facebook for regular updates on active author giveaways! I’m not the only author in the group. We’re constantly adding new authors who can share giveaways you can enter! The giveaways are all no purchase necessary.

I know I’ve been a little bit off the radar for a while, but I’ve got lots of updates coming down the pipes for you guys! My major project for this year is getting Frost published by Inkshares. To do that, we’ve got to get 750 pre-orders by December 31, 2018. With the amazing people in my street team, plus the support of my friends and family, I’m SURE we can make it happen.

I’d appreciate any shares you’re willing to give via Thunderclap, guys! Help me spread the word. More news for you soon!

I listened to an awesome webinar yesterday, and it suggested that, even as an author, maybe don’t make your blog revolve 100% around your writing. It’s an interesting prospect, for sure!

On a random side note, I’m super in love with Bitmoji and may post occasional Bitmoji updates just for fun.

I already have a personal blog, so I’m not really sure how I might make changes here. I feel like maybe I should still keep this blog for writerly things, but maybe with more of my personal spin on it?

We’ll see. I’d love to hear what you think.

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As you can probably tell, marketing is not my strength. I’m using tools like Crowdfire and Creator Collabs in an attempt to extend my reach and find new readers. Unfortunately, it has been a bit of a learning process, and I’ve annoyed some readers, friends, and family by flooding ALL MY FEEDS with dozens of marketing posts a day.

Fortunately, I’m learning how to better use these tools to achieve my goals without being annoying. I’m adjusting my usage of these tools, so you can look forward to a less flooded feed.

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No matter what I do with my marketing, everything kind of feels like a catch-22. I know I need to be producing new, fresh content to share with y’all, but I have been too exhausted to do much of anything. I’ve been dragging. I’m going to continue to use Crowdfire and CreatorCollabs for marketing purposes, but they probably won’t do all that well until I find the time, energy, and mental fortitude to start putting out new content for y’all again.

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Welcome to my Murphy Family Mysteries series, guys! I’ve been working on my first draft of Murphy’s Law of the Jungle (Murphy Family Mysteries, Book 1) for NaNoWriMo 2017. I don’t think I’m going to hit 50,000 words by November 30, but I’ll be finishing the draft this December.

Any readers who choose to support Murphy’s Law of the Jungle via pre-orders on Inkshares are going to get unprecedented access to my draft via Google Docs. You’ll even have the ability to leave comments. You’ll get to see this story’s development from beginning to end. If we make our goal(s), you’ll even get to see how professional editors influence and improve the manuscript!

Additionally, if we make the 750 pre-orders goal, I will be doing a special giveaway of some Murphy Family Mysteries gear, and the winner will have the opportunity to choose the names for both the victim and the big bad in the next book in the series!

People who support my writing will also receive occasional pictures of my adorable baby boy, River, because he’s my reason for everything!

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